I'm wondering if many multi family properties exchange between principals just through commercial broker networks?

This turns them into a principal and not a third party.

FXStructured prodcuts (guaranteed return and principal varying from 4.5-5.1%)CD'sFriends business

The structure is really to allow 2/4ths of the principals in the development to not participate in the fund if they so choose.

ANY agent or associate broker real estate activity has to be ran through the principal brokerage.At least it's this way in my state.You will get companies who try to not disclose involvement or only say they have a small involvement in an LLC etc.The bottom line is there MUST be disclosure that the agent has an interest in the group wholesaling.In our state the reason is we must disclose to the seller we have an interest because we are considered more well trained in negotiations than a traditional buyer.Also you can be disclosing an undisclosed fiduciary duty to another party in the transaction the seller doesn't know about.Example if the buyer is my family,business partner etc.

If you can assign, then your capital partner can effect a loan and you can do a partnership where the principal loan has first priority of payment.

2) Is it common, especially on smaller deals and smaller groups, to pay back all investor principal at reversion vs paying back as the 1st level of the waterfall?

You could find a private investor to partner with you to buy a package of REOs - this would look like HML except you could try to convince them to agree to interest only payments and put a two year stop at which point you refi and pay back the principal.

If your wife is not on title, then she can't take the capital gain exclusion in her own right even though she may have maintained the property as her principal residence at least two of the five years before you sell.On the other hand, if you sell in the next couple of years, there may not be any capital gain anyway after selling expenses and sales commission.

Not to mention principal pay down of the debt, tax breaks, while paying bake the debt with cheaper dollars, etc.